Protect the contact details of people providing information

A witness may be willing to speak privately but unwilling to have their phone number circulate with an appeal. Respect that distinction. Their contact details can help authorized follow-up without becoming part of a public post or family-wide group chat.

Explain the intended use

Tell the source who will receive the information and why. Do not promise secrecy beyond what you can actually control. If the information needs to reach a responsible authority, explain that route rather than making an informal confidentiality guarantee.

Keep the factual observation separate from the contact record. A lead reference can connect them for authorized people without repeating the number in every update.

Share only what is needed

The family coordinator may need to know a lead has been passed on without seeing all of the witness's personal information. Volunteers distributing posters generally do not need witness contacts at all.

• Source's preferred contact route.
• Permission or understanding about onward sharing.
• Authorized recipient.
• Date the information was handed over.

Avoid public credibility tests

Do not pressure a witness to post identification documents or publicly defend an uncertain recollection. Let the appropriate authority assess the account and request follow-up through its process.

If a screenshot contains contact details, do not circulate it widely merely because the observation seems important. Preserve the source privately and pass a factual summary through the agreed channel. A useful lead should not create a new privacy problem for the person who supplied it.